Integrated capacitor shield for balun in MRI receivers

• US 7,652,476 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Delgado, Eladio Clemente, de Rooij, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shrivastav; Brij B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fetzner; Tiffany A
• Application Number:
  US11/609,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 324300-322, 600407-435, 333/25, 333219-235, 298/25
• US Class Current: 324/322
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3621 NMR receivers or demodulators, e.g. preamplifiers, means for frequency modulation of the MR signal using a digital down converter, means for analog to digital conversion [ADC] or for filtering or processing of the MR signal such as bandpass filtering, resampling, decimation or interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3685 Means for reducing sheath currents, e.g. RF traps, baluns
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/422 of the radio frequency field
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/213 A variable capacitor being added in the input circuit, e.g. base, gate, of an amplifier stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/222 A circuit being added at the input of an amplifier to adapt the input impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/191 Tuned amplifiers H03F3/193, H03F3/195 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A balun is included in a magnetic resonance imaging system. The balun conditions electromagnetic signals received from at least one RF receiver coil. The balun includes a balun shield having an integrated capacitor therein. The balun blocks unwanted feedback from effecting performance of any components contained within the balun shield.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:

at least one magnet configured to generate a magnetic field;

at least one gradient coil manipulating the magnetic field generated by the at least one magnet by way of a gradient field;

at least one receiver coil, receiving electromagnetic signals from the manipulated magnetic field;

at least one balun connected to the receiver coil in order to condition the received electromagnetic signals; and

wherein the at least one balun includes a balun shield having a capacitance and a common mode inductance that creates a parallel resonant circuit.

2. The MRI system of claim 1 wherein the balun shield is comprised of a two conductor parallel plate capacitor forming an end cover on each end of the balun, the two conductor parallel plate capacitor further comprising:

an inner conductor plate;

an outer conductor plate; and

wherein a portion of the outer conductor plate and the inner conductor plate overlap.

3. The MRI system of claim 2 further comprising:

a co-axial cable transmitting the received electromagnetic signals into the at least one balun, the co-axial cable positioned so that the exit of the balun shield is at one of;

a center of the end cover and

near a circumferential edge of the end cover.

4. The MRI system of claim 2 wherein the inner conductor plate extends axially inwards along an inner surface of the balun shield order to add additional capacitance to the balun shield.

5. The MRI system of claim 2 wherein a circumference of the inner conductor plate is smaller than a circumference of the balun shield and wherein a circumference of the outer conductor plate is configured in order to connect to the circumference of the balun shield.

6. The MRI system of claim 2 wherein the two conductor parallel plate capacitor is comprised of a non-magnetic conductive material on a dielectric substrate.

7. The MRI system of claim 6 wherein the dielectric substrate is one of Kapton, a BaTi based ceramic, and FR4.

8. The MRI system of claim 1 further comprising an inductor that, together with the balun shield, forms the parallel resonant circuit.

9. The MRI system of claim 8 wherein the parallel resonant circuit is tuned to an imaging frequency and reduces common mode currents of the imaging frequency.

10. The MRI system of claim 9 further comprising a non-magnetic conductive screw inserted axially through the two conductor parallel plate capacitor in order to tune the parallel resonant circuit to the imaging frequency.

11. The MRI system of claim 10 wherein the non-magnetic conductive screw is electrically connected to the inner conductor plate and electrically isolated from the outer conductor plate.

12. The MRI system of claim 10 wherein the non-magnetic conductive screw is electrically connected to the outer conductor plate and electrically isolated from the inner conductor plate.

13. The MRI system of claim 10 further comprising:

a threaded non-magnetic flange attached to the outer conductor plate and configured to support the non-magnetic conductive screw.

14. The MRI system of claim 2 further comprising a capacitor unit mounted to the two conductor parallel plate capacitor in order to provide additional capacitance into the balun shield, wherein the capacitor unit is electrically connected to the two conductor parallel plate capacitor by way of vias therein.

15. A balun module compatible with a magnetic resonance imaging system comprising:

a common mode inductor disposed adjacent to a shield having an end plate thereon; and

a two conductor parallel plate capacitor integrated into the end plate.

16. The balun module of claim 15 wherein the two conductor parallel plate capacitor further comprises:

an inner conductor plate;

an outer conductor plate;

a dielectric substrate between the inner and outer conductor plate; and

wherein the inner conductor plate and outer conductor plate are comprised of a non-magnetic conductor.

17. The balun module of claim 16 wherein the inner conductor plate further comprises a cylindrical conductor extending axially inwards along an inner surface of the shield in order to increase capacitance of the balun module.

18. The balun module of claim 16 wherein a circumference of the inner conductor plate is smaller than a circumference of the shield and wherein a circumference of the outer conductor plate joins to the circumference of the shield in order to enhance shielding within the shield.

19. The balun module of claim 16 further comprising:

an additional capacitor in order to increase capacitance in the shield, the additional capacitor being electrically connected to the parallel plate capacitor by way of vias therein.

20. The balun module of claim 15 further comprising a tuning screw inserted into the parallel plate capacitor of the shield along an axial axis thereof in order to tune inductance of the common-mode inductor.

21. The balun module of claim 20 further comprising:

a threaded non-magnetic flange attached to the outer conductor plate and configured to support the tuning screw.

22. A method of assembling a balun module which is compatible with MRI, the method comprising:

enclosing a common-mode inductor within a balun shield;

attaching an end plate to the balun shield; and

integrating a parallel plate capacitor into the balun shield, the parallel plate capacitor having a non-magnetic inner conductor and outer conductor on a dielectric substrate.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising connecting an additional capacitor in order to the balun shield to adjust capacitance therein.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising inserting a tuning screw into the parallel plate capacitor in order to tune inductance in the common mode inductor.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

forming the inner conductor in order to extend axially inward from the end plate along an inner surface of the balun shield in order to add additional capacitance.

26. The method of claim 22 further comprising adding one of an external tunable capacitor and an external fixed value capacitor into the balun shield.

27. The method of claim 22 further comprising controlling the capacitance of the parallel plate capacitor, wherein the controlling includes at least one of:

adjusting a surface area of the inner conductor;

patterning the parallel plate capacitor;

adding a capacitor unit to the inner conductor; and

adjusting the thickness of the dielectric substrate.